Which key area did Bo Nix best Patrick Mahomes during predraft process?

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton loves his quarterback, Bo Nix. 

He has told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer the second-year passer "is going to be a superstar." He's sure of it because Nix bested Kansas City Chiefs superstar QB Patrick Mahomes in one key area during the predraft process.  

On Tuesday, ESPN released an excerpt of Seth Wickersham's book, "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," scheduled to release Sept 9. It revealed the former New Orleans Saints HC developed a formula before the 2017 NFL Draft to assess processing speed, a QB's ability to react to defenses faster in the NFL than in college. 

Payton's formula used the rate of negative plays (percentage of sacks, fumbles and interceptions) against total pass attempts. (He looked at completion percentage, too, but it wasn't included in the equation.) The coach focused on a QB's mistakes because he felt those with high turnover or sack rates tend to "freeze or panic."  

He then added them together for an average. A low score is good.

Mahomes scored an 8.1, which Payton liked. The coach subsequently gave the former Texas Tech star a 17-page packet of play designs the night before a predraft interview. The QB memorized all of it. 

During draft day, the Saints seemed poised to land Drew Brees' successor with pick No. 11. However, the Chiefs acquired pick No. 10 from the Buffalo Bills, selecting Mahomes. The QB has since won three Super Bowls and two MVPs in eight seasons with Kansas City.

In 2024, Payton wasn't going to miss out on another franchise QB. He used the same formula when scouting Nix and other QBs before the draft. His score at Oregon was a 2.3, the best in the class and better than Mahomes'. 

Like Mahomes, Nix remembered an entire packet the Broncos shared before a predraft interview. 

The Broncos took Nix with pick No. 12 in 2024. While it looked like a reach, the QB made Payton look smart. He tossed the league's sixth-most TD passes (29 in 17 starts) in 2024, finishing third in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. 

If the 25-year-old QB keeps proving skeptics wrong, the Broncos could be a Super Bowl sleeper. He may also make teams reconsider how they evaluate the most critical position. Payton might be onto something here.